Stef Kamil Carlens - Be Who You Wanna Be

A playful, funky album, born from the desire to be live again; a playful and funky band that will tour in Belgium and the Netherlands from April. 

First single 'Walk On Red, Stop On Green' that is included in the Radio 1 playlist and the Vox list is a song like 'My Favorite Things' from the film 'The Sound Of Music': 'If anything bothers me, and I' m feeling unhappy, I just try and think of nice things! What kind of things?

The song sets the tone of this new album. A simple structure, over which a web of rhythm is woven using instruments from an old drum machine: the Roland CR-78, in dialogue with live drums and percussion. Lots of sax, tenor and baritone! A pumping bass. A frisky pizzicato violin. Vocals based on the 'Boy Scout Trail' principle; the leader sings and the others repeat. And then of course the classic keyboards: the Fender Rhodes, the Hohner Clavinette D6, the L-100 Hammond organ. And many analog synthesizers: a rippling Juno-106 draws the path to be followed, which is crossed with phrases from other museum pieces: the Stratus by Crumar, the Synthorchestra by Farfisa, the Prophet-10 by Sequential. Or the Casio Club M-100, which is actually a toy, but has been subtly coloring SKC's songs for years! 

These instruments are the sound and subject of the song. The singer praises with great enthusiasm the skills and ingenuity of its builders. Through years of collecting and restoring, SKC has surrounded itself with a very extensive collection of musical instruments. They are the raw materials for the many projects he works on as a songwriter, producer, arranger and composer of film and theater music. But his enthusiasm also extends to other, local makers: luthiers, traditional clothes, shoe and hat makers, bicycle factories, the small workshops spread across this country, where despite the crushed competition of mass production, with heart and soul and a lot of know-how, wonderful creations see the light day in and day out. 

And then there are the big examples: Prince and his entourage, an artist who SKC has started to follow with increasing admiration since he pulled 'Controversy' out of a record bin in the corner of a small shop in Antwerp's Kammenstraat in the early 1980s. . Or John Lee Hooker, who knows how to create an irresistible groove with his quiet power and clicking heel. And Little Feat, the band of the legendary Lowell George, whose irresistible grooves of, for example, their 'Spanish Moon' made a deep impression on SKC.   

Stef Kamil Carlens has often delved deep into the repertoire of artists he esteems highly in search of forgotten or forgotten gems to edit. Also on this album!